Remembrance Part 1- The Lost History
by MarigoldWolf
Summary: Without any memory of who he was, Ren finds himself in a world where monsters only exist on cards or as holograms. That quickly changes as he and people from his past are caught up in the same mess as the Signers. What other secrets could be lying within them? Yusei/OC (boyxboy) Rated T for now
1. Prologue

**A/N: Okay, so my idea of posting a multi-part prologue has gone out the window as I haven't gotten it done...in months. ^^' So, you know what? I'll just do a normal prologue and just sum up what happens up until where I start chapter one. And this prologue is all in Yusei's POV...but I feel it's probably going to be more of an inner monologue than a prologue X'D Oh well! On with the show!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Pokémon nor _Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's._ Both go to their respective owners. I only claim my OC(s).**

 **Prologue- Boy From Another World:**

(Yusei's POV)

It's hard to say what all happened that brought Ren to us three years ago. I found him, bruised and bleeding, when I heard a noise and saw a strange creature darting away. I was sure he was only a step away from death's door, but miraculously he survived and awoke a few days after. It was surprising that he even woke up in a short amount of time. Of course, even with this small miracle, there was a small snag in his waking up.

" _Can you remember what happened to you?"_

" _I...no, I can't remember_ anything _."_

It was very strange. The only head injury he seemed to have sustained at all were the gashes on his right eye. Whatever had happened to him had caused him to forget everything, not just the experience. The best he could remember was his name, what the blue and white otter creature he was with was, and also the strange spheres that had been on his person. Anything beyond that—friends, family—were all gone. He couldn't even recall what they looked like in case they ever came looking for him (then again, with what all he told us, that would have been impossible; it sounded like he came from another world).

His recovery was slow. He had been suffering from malnourishment and some dehydration. Whoever did this to him must have kept it to where he could barely have the strength to fight back, much less run away. Various scars littered his body, a few looking like burn marks. I couldn't recall any duel gangs doing this kind of damage, but who knows. Maybe they were trying to get information out of him? Perhaps on where he got Emily (the blue and white otter creature which Ren called an Oshawott) on the off chance there were more powerful ones. No one wanted to even think what could happen if that were true.

During the early stages of his recovery, Ren ran off with Emily, taking his belongings. The first thing that came to mind when he vanished was that his captor could have come in and taken them. When we did find him (after a bit of a surprise of seeing some of his more intimidating partners helping him walk), Ren revealed that he only snuck away, not get kidnapped again like we thought.

" _Why would you-"_

" _I feel like I'm being more of a burden. I don't like feeling useless. I guess that's a personality quirk that stuck with me even with my amnesia."_

" _I already told you. You can pay us back when you're better. Don't worry about it now."_

The next several months went with getting him back onto his feet, something a bit easier said than done. A few times, he did reopen some of the worse looking wounds when he got up to move around. The only upside to those moments was either Riki (an orange dragon-like creature known as a Charizard where he's from) or I were with him when it happened. His injuries managed to heal, leaving behind many scars across his body. He was able to cover them as long as the clothes he wore were long-sleeved shirts and pants with a high-collared coat. With those, the only scars visible were the two on the right side of his face (one over his eye and the other missing it; both parallel to each other).

A bit over a year ago, making it at least eighteen months since he had appeared here, Ren was given a way to go back to his home. When he had first told me this, I was convinced it meant he wouldn't ever come back. He must have been able to tell what I was thinking by what he said next.

" _I'm not abandoning you guys, Yusei. I'd never forgive myself if I did that."_

" _But, what about-"_

" _I bet whoever I had been would really be pissed if I left behind friends that helped me when I was down. I'll come back here before and after my Gym battles. Besides, I'm sure a lot of my first partners wouldn't mind staying here and not being cooped up all the time."_

Even with that arrangement, Ren had to keep his partners hidden and a bit out of range for Sector Security to find. They started following up on rumors of the "monsters" that were said to lurk about. While the ones who did know of Ren and his partners knew they meant no harm, his partners had to keep out of sight to avoid being caught. Though, even when Sector Security _did_ get close enough to spot them, Ren's partners managed to evade them or lead them away from the others. Judging from how easily it came to them, I had to guess this wasn't the first time they had to do a risky game of hide and seek.

Over the next several months, Ren kept the promise of coming back, usually with more new partners, or the same partners but in new forms (which he called evolving). It was as he said, he'd come back before and after fighting in these Gym battles, showing the trinkets he won (badges). However, this wasn't the only reason he would return. Many times, he'd come back after having what I started calling flashback panic attacks. When he gets one, he freezes wherever he is (standing or sitting), eyes wide in fright like he's reliving whatever he's seeing right then and there. I couldn't get him to tell me what happened in them, and I was afraid to push the matter too much in case he had a relapse. In fact, the region of his world he was exploring caused him to have them more frequent.

" _Maybe you should hold off going any further, Ren. If these visions get out of hand-"_

" _I can't do that. It wouldn't be fair to Emily and the others, especially to Emily. She's already had to wait, what, almost three years to travel the region I got her in. It'd be unfair to stop right when we're so close to completing it."_

It was hard to argue with Ren on the subject. He saw his partners like family—probably the only family he could somewhat remember. Plus, he mentioned he had a good idea what could be triggering the memories and promised to avoid the trigger at all costs. That at least put my mind at ease during the days and nights he didn't come back. In the meantime, I had my own business to take care of. I had to focus on my goal as much as Ren had to focus on his.

Recently, he had left for a different region, one called Sinnoh is what he said. He had already finished the last Gym in the Unova region but was unable to face the final battles as it had to be put on hold due to an emergency. There was trouble with a crime organization that needed to be dealt with which meant putting any further challenges on pause. He figured he might as well start on the Gyms in another region while waiting. At least it would possibly mean he wouldn't have as many bad flashbacks hopefully, so maybe he could relax a bit from the stress.

Surprisingly, though, he decided not to have any of his previous partners travel with him. His reasoning was that he wanted to know he could deal with any problems without them, more to prove to himself than to others. He wanted to know that he could take care of himself without anything bad happen to him, or that he wanted to let any new partners know he could trust them to protect him when need be (he didn't know which one it was). It was obvious Riki didn't like the idea, even trying to follow Ren through his means of transport, but Ren managed to coax Riki to stay to watch the others.

Before he left, he gave me a way to contact him that seemed to work well when he was in his world. He gave it to me when I said he didn't have to come back after every Gym battle as he'd more than likely be a bit tired. There was only one contact in it which was his, so it wasn't that hard to figure out. It allowed for closure on both ends as Ren knew I was close to my goal. I could call him or vice versa should anything come up on either ends. With that, he left.

With everything that's happened now, though, it's never been more important to get in touch with him. If I don't, who knows what could happen?

 **A/N: So with that, the prologue is finished finally! Ugh, man, I feel like I've been teasing at this thing for the past few months on dA. Feels good to finally get it started, and just in time too. Who's hyped for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon? Especially with what's been revealed already. All I have to say is...hurry up and get here already, November 17th!**

 **PS- No worries, I'm not going to spoil anything for the upcoming games. I know some want to be kept spoiler-free and so I will not talk about what's been revealed as of late. Though, if anyone wants to talk about it, feel free to PM me on here or contact me on dA (I'm on a different username on there, so check my profile for the name; the link doesn't seem to work for anything outside of it seems :/).**

 **PPS- I have other stories incoming, not just more Pokémon crossovers XD And I do intend on updating Amid Clan Disputes soon. I just get distracted a lot...and my mind wanders if I don't focus on it...**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey! Hope you didn't wait too long, but here's the first (official) chapter. I will warn that while it might start out a bit light-hearted, it will get dark in the near future (like, I might have to bump up the rating on this; depends on what dark corners of my mind come into play in this fic). But it won't be due to any 'special' times between Ren and Yusei, mind you. More of the violence/language/whatever else comes into play than anything on the romance line (not that there won't be romance in this, though...just give it some time).**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Pokémon nor _Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's_. Both go to their respective owners. I only claim my OCs.**

 **Chapter 1:**

" _Hey, this is Ren! If you're hearing this, chances are I'm not able to reply right at this moment. Leave a message after the tone and I'll—no! Riki, bad Charizard! This is on a tim-" *beep*_

"Ren, call back as quickly as you can. This is urgent. And whatever you do, _don't_ go back to the Satellite. Just call me and I'll tell you where we can meet."

(Scene Shift- Eterna Forest, right outside the Old Chateau- Ren's POV)

" _Aaa **aaaaaa** aahhhhh!_" my team and I yelled as we ran out of the abandoned, creepy house...in the middle of the woods (I never said I was smart which translates to I'd be the first to die in a horror film). We didn't even both to remember there was a gate; we just jumped the fence.

"Okay, new rule: we do not—under _any circumstance—_ train in a place that's confirmed to be haunted," I panted.

" **Agreed,"** they all groaned, flopping onto the ground. These guys were a part of my Sinnoh team. Jake (a Monferno), Sonia (a Golbat), Lia (a Shellos; Jake had been carrying her), Tyler (a Meditite), Lucien (a Gastly and don't ask me why he was flying out of there), and Gene (a Stunky and very new to the team) were all a part of this team. Of course, I was mainly starting my Sinnoh journey a bit early as things in Unova are coming to a head. Pretty much to a point that they're closing off any challenges to the Elite Four and Champion until things calm down. Who can blame them, either. With what Team Plasma has done so far—like freezing over Opelucid City alongside the rest of their crimes—I'd be keeping my eyes open to see what they've got planned next. So far, though, it seems like they've gone underground, and not too long after I got the final badge and heard the announcement, too.

"Now that that's settled, let's head back to Eterna and plan from there. Our next Gym won't be until we reach Veilstone, anyway." I called back the whole team, clipping the Poké balls back onto my belt.

Honestly, it's slightly driving me a bit nuts at having to start a journey in a different region when I've already reached the qualifications to fight the Elite Four and Champion in another. I wonder how my old self would have reacted? _More than likely with cuss words and screaming,_ I mused. While some memories have returned to me—mostly of the journeys I had in Kanto and Johto, not yet of anyone I was close to—there are times I have to stop and think for a minute. How would things have been like if I had all my memories intact? Was it because my mind was too shocked at whatever torture I endured? Or, maybe it was whoever had captured me in the first place? Too many things were going on at once and made my head spin.

 _Ugh, man. I will be_ so _glad when I get my memories back. Maybe then the headaches that come with trying to force myself to remember will go away...that's how it works, right?_ I shook my head to clear it. _No use thinking about it now. I'll just end up upgrading the headache to a migraine. That's the last thing I want after dealing with actual ghosts._

(Scene Shift- Eterna City Pokémon Center)

When I finally got back to the room I booked in the Center, I fell face first onto the bed. "Ngh...I don't care what comes up, I am _not_ going to wake up," I groaned into the sheets.

" **Whatever you say, Ren,"** I heard Jake yawn from his spot. The others decided to sleep in their Poké balls for the night, seeing as the room was a bit small now that I finally got a full team.

I rolled onto my side, staring at the wall now in front of me. _I wonder...how many times am I going to meet to sign up for a Gym battle and end up being recognized as the Trainer who went missing from Unova three years ago? While yes that's me, I can't very well piece together what the hell happened to me to explain to others. Any time I do, it makes my head hurt like some invisible force is squeezing it tighter and tighter. I know I want to sort things out before I run into the family and friends obviously worried over my disappearance, but that might be hard with word going about._

My arm slid up to cover my face. _Screw it, I need sleep. After the hell I had going through that haunted house, I think I'll need it before I head toward Hearthome and then Veilstone._ I then rolled back onto my front, my forehead resting on my arms. _Why does it feel like I'm forgetting something?_

The room fell quiet for a few minutes...until I jumped off the bed, yelling, "Oh shit, I forgot!"

" **What? What is it? Where's the fire?"** Jake asked, tiredly.

"There's no fire, but I forgot to turn my PokéGear off of silent!"

" **What happened to 'I don't care what comes up, I am _not_ going to wake up'?"**

"Yeah, well, it's been several weeks since I left. I wanna check to see if Yusei's left an update on his end."

" **You are so weird sometimes."**

"Yes, I've been told." Upon digging out the PokéGear, I found that there was a few messages left on it. "Well, that answers that. Let's see what the recent one has." I pressed for the recording to play.

" _Ren, call back as quickly as you can. This is urgent. And whatever you do,_ don't _go back to the Satellite. Just call me and I'll tell you where we can meet,"_ the recording gave.

 _What in the hell? Don't go to the Satellite? Why would he say that? Where else would I go to anyway? I have no idea where anything is in New Domino. Something must have come up since I last saw them, and that was right when Yusei was planning on escaping. I've gotta check this out myself._ I shoved the PokéGear back into my bag, walking around the room to pick up the rest of my stuff and also waking up Jake.

" **Whaaat?"** he groaned.

"Change of plans, we're heading out."

" **Why?"**

"I've gotta check on the others. Make sure they're okay."

" **Why not just call and ask?"**

"One, Yusei has the extra PokéGear I had on me, so no way for me to directly contact the others. Two, it has been a long while since we were back there anyway. I'm sure Riki and everyone would like to see how you Sinnoh guys are doing."

Jake sighed, slowly getting onto his feet. **"Fine, but I'm sleeping in my Poké ball the rest of the night."**

"Fair enough." I pulled out his ball and returned him. I put away the bed, heading out to check out from the room. _I'm getting to the bottom of this once and for all!_

(Scene Shift- Satellite)

I stepped out of the portal, checking around to make sure there wasn't anyone that saw. _Whew, well, I'll grab Riki and we'll fly to the hangout. Hopefully, it's nothing wrong and maybe my nerves will calm down._ I hurried to a large building. Or rather, the one that served to house my Kanto, Johto, and Unova teams for the time being. Thankfully, the building was located where Sector Security doesn't patrol (though, I swear they get a bit too close at times).

As soon as I stepped in, I was immediately tackled down. **"Ren! You came to visit! Finally!"** the Raichu on top of me—Keyne—shouted.

"Okay okay, I get it. It's been a while," I chuckled, pushing him off of me.

" **A while?! Make that _months_! I know you said you were wanting to focus on Sinnoh and all without any help, but still!"**

" _Okay_. I get the drift." I stood up, brushing myself off. "Everyone's making sure to stay out of sight, right?"

" **Yeah yeah. We had a few close calls, but nothing we can't handle."**

"That's good." Looking around, pretty much everyone was asleep. A few lifted their heads at our voices, or opened their eyes, but they stayed where they laid. "Riki's here, right?"

" **Yep. He should be on the roof with Mazin. Might want to be careful walking up the stairs, though. It creaked even when I was walking on them last."**

"Well, I've already got a damaged memory. I doubt a concussion is going to do worse." I started heading up, minding where I put my foot just in case.

I managed to get up onto the roof to find not only my very first partner and closest thing to family I could remember but also my Vaporeon Mazin laying next to him. Riki lifted his head up when he heard my footsteps. **"Ren! You're back,"** he greeted. **"Something wrong? You said you wouldn't be back for a while."**

"Something's come up. I got a message from Yusei to call him and not go to the Satellite. I figured we better check the hangout to see what's up."

" **Are you sure that was a good idea? Ignoring what he said, I mean. What if it was urgent?"**

"Which is why I'm going to check up on the guys before calling him. I figure we should cover all bases before anything."

" **Well, all right."** He nudged his sleeping mate. **"Mazin, wake up."**

" **Mmngh, whyyy?"** Mazin groaned, pushing his snout with a paw.

" **Ren's here, and he wants me to fly him to the hangout."**

That got his attention. He hopped onto his paws, turning to me. **"Ren! Hey, partner, whatcha doing here so soon?"**

"Just stuff. We'll try to be back as quickly as possible. It shouldn't take too terribly long."

" **Be careful. My fur's been standing on edge lately. There might be more going on than we know of."**

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." And I meant that. No one can deny that Pokémon can sense when danger's approaching before anything comes up. Since they're in-tune with nature, they can feel drastic changes in the air, whether they're Psychic-types or not. Must be why I depend on them when something feels off.

I went to fetch Riki's Poké ball (just in case), and we flew off. I pulled out my PokéGear again—half-tempted to call Yusei and tell him where I'm at—but ended up stowing it away. _I'll call him later. Maybe it's not as serious as he thinks._ At least, that's what I hoped. Riki noticed my actions, and I shook my head. "It's nothing, Riki."

" **You sure?"**

"Yeah."

Once we landed nearby the tunnel's entrance, I slid off of Riki's back. "You want to go into the ball, or..?"

" **I'll stay out here. You go check what you need to."**

"Got it." I patted his snout before walking to the entrance, heading in.

Already, I knew it felt off. It was the middle of the day (I've noticed that at times the regions seemed to have different time zones than here which is why I said I wouldn't be back for a while; I'd have to readjust to the time here and we all know how bad jet-lag is when air traveling), yet I didn't hear any noise as I entered. "Hello? Guys? Rally, Blitz, Nervin, Tank, anyone?" No answer. I swallowed. "Okay, guys, this isn't funny!" I stepped further in, the slight lighting from the outside helping a bit. "Guys-" I stopped.

The whole place had been ransacked. No sign of anyone. _What in the hell happened?! When did this...wait, was this why Yusei wanted me to not go? In case I had come back and whoever kidnapped them caught me too?_ I shook my head. _Arceus, maybe I should have come back sooner instead of wasting so much time in Sinnoh. Then maybe—_ I let out a gasp as I felt a splitting headache take effect, causing me to clutch the nearest thing to keep balance if I didn't want to smack into the ground. _Arceus dammit, why now of all times?!_

See, every now and then, I'll get flashbacks of my memories. When they happen is hard to say. Sometimes I'll be asleep when they come up, other times I'm just sitting around when I remember something (usually something very embarrassing and not to tell the others about), and yet more times, they come at the worst possible times. And seven times out of ten, they're the memories I _don't_ want to see. _Whatever this memory is,_ please _let it be less graphic than the last ones!_

(Memory)

" _Good Arceus, Eric! Ever heard of cleaning up after yourself?" I asked, kicking a dirty shirt. "I think we might find the map to a lost city in here."_

" _Ha ha, very funny," came the retort. Eric brushed his silver hair out of his purple eyes. "I just haven't gotten time to clean my room yet."_

" _Haven't gotten time? Dude, what the hell have you been up to anyway?!"_

" _For one, scoping out the Gym Leaders in Unova to see what I'll need to do in order to defeat them. And another, trying to find more details on the marks that keep appearing and disappearing on our arms."_

" _That again? I told you, it was probably our minds playing tricks."_

" _So how do you explain the sudden boost in our teams' powers right when we needed it just as those marks appeared?"_

" _Um...I dunno. Trying to tap into that Mega Evolution thing I heard was going on in Kalos?"_

 _Eric rolled his eyes. "Be serious, Ren. I've got a gut feeling that there's more to it than meets the eye."_

" _Whatever, I'm heading out. Oh, and just so you know, I'm picking Oshawott and so going to kick your butt on our Unova journey!"_

" _We'll see about that!"_

(Memory Ends)

I slowly blinked as the memory faded. _That was...weird. I never had one of those memories being triggered. But, I guess since Unova was mentioned, this was before whatever happened to me to cause my memories to be erased. So what was I talking about with the other guy, Eric? What was that about marks?_ My mind tried to wring itself for answers, only making the remainder of the headache to throb more. _Ugh, never mind. I'll have to think about it later. Right now, I've got to tell Riki what I found._

Right as I was managing to stable my legs, I heard Riki roar. **"Ren! Hurry and get up here! We've got trouble!"**

I hurried out, almost stumbling once out. "Riki, what-" I was interrupted by the sound of sirens. "Shit!"

" **Let's get outta here!"** I couldn't agree more. I climbed onto my Charizard partner's back, his wings spreading wide. He gave a mighty flap, and we were up in the air.

"Fly up high into the clouds! There's no way they'll be able to follow us if they can't see!"

" **Got it!"** I clung tighter as we climbed altitude. _Just don't look at the ground, and hopefully your lunch won't try to leave early._

(Scene Shift)

" _ **Whaaat?!**_ **"** Quinn, Emily, and Jake exclaimed once Riki and I told what I found. Thankfully, my plan worked out and we both got back to the rest of the teams without anyone following. Right as we landed, I got Mazin and Keyne to help me wake my other starter 'mons. Jake took a bit more time convincing (and Mazin firing off a Water Pulse in his face once I brought him out of his ball).

"Yeah, that's what I thought. I don't know what happened, or where they were taken," I replied.

" **Plus the fact that Sector Security started heading our way not too long after Ren went to check confirms that something's up,"** Riki added.

" **So, what now? It's not safe for Ren to stay here,"** Quinn said.

" **You make it sound like we can't defend him, Grass-butt."**

"Riki, now's not the time. I think for the time being, it'll be better to find somewhere to hide over in New Domino. I'll contact Yusei, and hopefully we can figure things out."

" **You sure that's a good idea? I mean, you have no idea where you're going over there,"** Emily inquired.

"We'll be fine. As long as I don't bring out any of you guys, I'll be okay. I'm taking Riki since I might need his fire power. Jake, you and the other Sinnoh guys are coming too."

" **Us? But we haven't had enough fighting experience if things get hairy,"** Jake pointed out.

" **He's got a point."**

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Fine fine, I'll bring Mazin, too. 'Sides, I'm sure Lia could use a few pointers being my main Water-type for Sinnoh."

" **Better than not taking one of your senior fighters,"** Quinn sniffed.

" **Well, better to take Mazin than a giant, green dinosaur,"** Riki muttered.

" _Riki_." I swear, this little rivalry between Riki and Quinn is getting on my last nerves (not like I can remember how or why it started in the first place, anyway). "We'll leave once evening hits here. Maybe the cover of darkness will help us avoid getting caught easily."

" **Let's rest for a bit. I'm pretty sure you didn't get the chance to before coming here, right?"**

"Yes, Mom."

(Scene Shift- Later)

Resting was easier said than done. Even with the exhaustion of running out of the Old Chateau, I still couldn't close my eyes. I was on edge. _They found us a little too easily. It's like they saw us without even being nearby. How? Are there cameras hidden around the Satellite? Great, I'm making my anxiety spike up more than during a Gym battle._ I groaned, rolling onto my side from my back after glaring at the ceiling.

" **Ren..?"**

I bolted upright before letting out a breath. "Arceus and all that's above, you scared me, Keyne. Liz."

" **Sorry,"** the Primeape replied, scratching the back of her head.

" **We were worried 'cause you were tossing and turning so much. We thought you were having a nightmare or reliving a bad memory,"** Keyne put in, his ears drooping a bit at the last part.

"It's not that. I'm just...a bit wired is all. Feels like everything bad that could happen is now coming true, so it's not helping me much."

" **We'll find them. Keyne suggested that the rest of us here start searching around to see if we can't find a trace of the others. After all, if they get too close, we can easily stay out of their reach."**

"You sure?"

" **Yeah. I mean, we've dodged them for, what, going on three years now? Can't be that much harder."** Keyne's slouched posture switched to being upright, his chest puffing out.

I chuckled. "Okay." I looked out the cracked window, noting that the sky had turned dark. "Well, looks like it's a good a chance as any to get going."

" **Don't worry. Quinn and Emily will keep things covered. Well, I guess Riki probably would say Emily would, all things considered."**

" **They _really_ need to quit the whole fighting deal. Even Mazin's losing his patience."**

"Now _that's_ an achievement."

I got off the makeshift bed, grabbing Mazin's Poké ball right as I walked down the stairs. I didn't see the two, so I figured they were already outside and waiting. I said goodbye to the others and headed out, recalling Mazin as I got onto Riki's back again. **"Where should we start, Ren?"**

"I say we head to the more deserted part of the city. That way, we won't have to pull some crazy maneuvers to not get seen."

" **All right then."**

(Scene Shift- Later)

 _Uggghhh...I should have slept while I could have..._ I inwardly groaned as Riki and I walked down the empty street. We did as planned, landing in the less crowded area of New Domino, but after all that walking, I was feeling the tiredness creeping in on me. Riki offered to carry me, but I declined. He already had to carry me enough as it was today. I wasn't about ot make him carry me while we found some place to hide away in for the night.

"Let's take a breather here," I said, sitting down in front of what I assumed to be a garage door. I leaned my back against it, my head clunking onto the metal. "Ow."

" **That probably wasn't a good idea, Ren. What if the owner comes down to check on the ruckus?"** Riki scolded.

"Ri, I'm too tired to give a f- Ah!" The last part I yelped as the door opened, causing me to fall backwards. "That hurt a lot."

"Ren?" the voice above me asked.

My eyes opened to look into Yusei's royal blue ones. I blinked, my eyes darting left and right before focusing on him again. I gave a nervous grin. "Heeey, Yusei. How's it hanging?"

 **A/N: Well, hate to leave it on a cliffhanger, but...gotta keep you guys coming back somehow, right? XD Anyway, let me know how the first chapter went. Good, bad, whatever. I can take a critique! See y'all for the next installment!**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello once more! Enjoy the cliffhanger last chapter? No? Sorry. ^^' I figure it'd be better to leave on a cliffhanger than drag it out any longer. Plus, it's been at least a month since I posted the prologue, so yeah. I figure might as well get it out and end it to where you'll come back for more (hopefully). At any rate, we'll get a few glimpses of Ren's past through two characters coming in this chapter. If you've read any other works with Ren (namely Surprising Each Other), you'll kind of know who they are. And you kind of already saw one of them in the memory last chapter. XD**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Pokémon nor _Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's_. Both go to their respective owners. I only claim my OCs.**

 **Chapter 2:**

(AJ's POV)

" _What are you talking about, Eric? Where is my brother?!"_

" _I...I don't know. Eliana and I tried our best, but they knocked us out. I'm sorry...he's gone."_

 _ **'You failed him. You failed your brother. And now, he's gone**_ **forever.** ** _'_**

" _No!_ " I yelled, sitting up in the bed with my hand outstretched. I blinked, my mind slowly catching up. "Just...Just a bad dream..." _Or, I wish it was. Part of it is still true. He was taken from us, right when we started our Unova journeys. Whoever was after him knew that he didn't have any of his stronger Pokémon on him._ I slid out of the bed, stepping around the sleeping Pokémon on the floor.

 _Everyone else was quick to call the search off, especially what was found in that Plasma lab the International Police raided. Jazz, Eric, and I knew otherwise. He's got to be out there. I can't explain it—and neither can the others—but he is. He has to be._ "I'll find you, Ren...my brother."

(Scene Shift- Yusei's POV)

"Look, I can _so_ explain."

"Explain that you literally ignored my message and did whatever you wanted even though it risked you getting caught?"

Ren winced. "Okay, when you put it like that."

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "That's why I _didn't_ want you heading to the Satellite in the first place. Who knows what could have happened if Riki wasn't with you."

"Yeah, well..." Ren looked like he was trying to think of a convincing counter. "H-How was I supposed to know that it was dangerous to go there when you didn't give me much of a reason why I shouldn't be going there?"

I gave him an incredulous look. "Really, Ren?"

"It was the only thing I could think of. Besides, if you tell someone not to do something, nine times out of ten they'll do it."

I sighed, throwing my hands up. "All right, fair point. I should have explained a bit why you should have called me first, or why the Satellite was too dangerous right now other than saying it was urgent. Considering what you're like, it should have been the first thing to say."

"Right. Wait, considering how _I'm like_? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, even though I've only known you for about three years now, it's pretty safe to say that you're a bit predictable when certain situations arise."

"Me? Predictable? Pff, I think Riki and a few of the others would have objections to that."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that. At any rate, you should get some shut-eye while you can."

"Huh, why?"

"Well, let's just say I'm forced to join a tournament to save our friends, and we'll have to leave fairly early."

"Okay, know what, let me find out who took our pals so I can let Riki have a word with 'em. No, wait. I'll run back and grab Emily to have a word with them."

"As much as I would love for you to sicc your partners on him, I don't want to run the risk of you getting caught and having all of them being kept in a lab somewhere."

"Ohh, right. There is that..."

"If that's all, then get some rest, okay?"

"Wait, hold on, what about you? It's _you_ that's going to be in the tournament, anyway."

"Are you going to pull the 'I'll stay up as long as you do' stunt again?"

"You know me too well."

I rolled my eyes. "All right. Just let me check on a few things and I'll go to bed."

"Good."

"You know, if by some miracle we run into someone from your past, I'm going to have to ask if you were this stubborn before you lost your memories.

(Scene Shift- Ren's POV- Dream)

 _Okay, what the hell, what's going on?_ I thought, finding nothing back black space all around me. I could feel like there was at least a floor, but when I looked down it was still as blank as everything else around me. "All right, what Pokémon deity did I piss off to give me a dream like this?" I said aloud, hearing it echo. "Yep, I must have pissed someone off in this life or another."

A melodic cry sounded from far off. _What was that? It sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it._ I ran toward where the cry came from, hoping to get a clue as to what was going on. More of the same cries kept coming as I got closer to the source. Of course, I wasn't expecting to be greeted by a large ring of white fire in front of me. _Arceus above! What is this? Wait, something's a bit off. Why am I not feeling any heat coming from this? Either this is a dream, or I'm more okay with heat than is humanly possible. Okay, that last one sounded stupid. It's just a dream._

I saw a snout sticking out of the flames. The jaws were parted slightly like the creature was panting. I cautiously headed to the snout, bending down. "Hey, are you the one who made the noise?" I asked, my voice echoing. My only response was a low pained groan from the creature. I reached a hand toward it. "Hang on, maybe I can-"

Right as my hand touched the snout, the creature reared back to the flames and I finally got to see what the owner looked like as they let out a tortured scream. It was Reshiram, the Vast White Pokémon. As I yelped and stumbled back, I felt my back hit someone before I could crash into the ground. "Find your memories, and stop his pain," a voice whispered right as everything faded away from sight.

(Scene Shift- Yusei's POV)

I had gotten a few hours of sleep in when I felt Ren start to fidget. Something I learned a bit off-hand from him was once he gets into a comfortable sleeping position, he's out, practically dead to the world. The only times he tosses and turns were, well, if it's one of _those_ dreams that turns into a bad memory. Before I had kept tabs on his sleeping patterns, he'd wake up screaming from them. In recent times, I found that as long as I wake him up by the time he starts moving, he misses the more intense parts of the memory which is what causes him to react badly.

Gently grabbing the shoulder he wasn't leaning on, I started shaking him. "Ren. Ren, wake up. It's just a dream," I whispered.

His eyes fly open as he jerks upward, letting out a gasp like he had been choking moments ago. He regained his composure within seconds. "W-Wha...?"

"Are you okay? You were moving about in your sleep. It was one of those dreams, wasn't it?"

"I...I don't know. I-I don't _think_ it was?" He groaned, gripping his head. "Arceus, my head's pounding, though."

"Do you have any Tylenol?"

"No. I meant to pick up more when I reached Hearthome, though...oh, wait, I thinking it's fading now."

"Well, if it comes back, tell me and I'll head up to see if Blister has any bottles lying around."

"Oh trust me, you'll know if it comes back."

"Why, because you'll be cursing a storm from here 'til your world?"

He rolled his eyes. "All right, Mr. Sass. I don't want to be dealing with you at...what time is it?"

I got up, going over to my Duel Runner and checking the time. "Too early to be getting ready, for one."

"Well, great. Time to go back to bed, then!" He flopped back down, rolling onto his side o his back was to me. "Wake me when we've gotta leave."

"Hey now, at least let me get back on before falling asleep."

"Then hurry up and get your ass back on this couch before insomnia kicks in."

I chuckled. "All right, all right. I'm coming."

(Scene Shift- AJ's POV)

I winced as I managed to comb out a rather stubborn tangle. _Now to get the others,_ I thought grumpily as I got ready. While I wasn't a competitor in this Fortune Cup, I was still coming along as an extra means of protection, just in case. _Yeah, right. He just wants to show off he's also got "real" creatures under his command as well._ Though, all I would need was Tiki, my Charizard and my very first partner. Darko and the others could stay behind.

A knock at the door made me pause for a minute. I heard Akiza's voice from behind it. "AJ, are you about ready?"

"Just about," I replied. I turned back to the mirror. "I just need to work out a few kinks in my hair and- Darko, _no!_ " I yelped the last bit as said Hydreigon decided to—teasingly—pull my hair and drag me down, also causing my Jolteon Pulse to yelp.

" ** _Yarp!_ Dammit, Darko!"** he growled under me.

" **But I wanna play!"** Darko whined. Anyone who didn't understand Pokémon language would only hear this weird combo of a whine/roar/growl from him.

"AJ?!" The door opened, Akiza stepping in. She stopped at the sight of Darko having dragged me down. "Um, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Darko's wanting to play is all. Not at a good time." I muttered the last part to myself.

"Oh. Well, I'll meet you down stairs. We're leaving in a few minutes."

"Okay, I'll be there."

Once she left, I lightly pushed Darko off of me. "Dar, as much as I would love to, I can't right now. It's too early to go flying, and plus the Fortune Cup starts today."

" **Aww, but that means you'll be gone _all day_!"** he whined again.

" **Uh, yeah. I think she explained this to everyone not too long ago, Dar,"** Pulse sighed, shaking his head. He looked to me. **"Anyway, mind leaving us in our Poké balls? I'd rather not be stuck in this room for hours on end."**

"You sure?"

" **Trust me, I believe it would do the toddler of the teams some good to be in his ball."** He pointed to Darko with his paw. **"Plus, do you wanna leave him _alone_ without supervision."**

"Okay, point taken." I quickly got my hair fixed and pulled up, pulling out two Poké balls. "Pulse, return!" The Jolteon left in a red beam of light. I set it down. "Darko, your turn."

" **Aww..."** He pouted, or at least as well as a Hydreigon could.

I sighed. "All right. How about this? You go into your ball, and I'll extend the flight for two hours this evening?"

He looked thoughtful for a minute, bringing one of his head-hand appendages under his chin. **"Make it...two and a half, plus a few dives into the ocean and it's a deal!"**

"Okay, deal." At this point, I didn't have enough time for arguments.

" **Yay!"** I returned him to his ball with no difficulties on his end.

I looked at the ball, giving a small smile and chuckle. "You know, for a seemingly dangerous 'three-headed death dragon,' you aren't so terrifying when you want to be." I paused, realizing what I had just referred to the name Ren gave to Hydreigons.

" _Oh my Arceus, AJ! Keep your three-headed death dragon on your side, for crying out loud!"_

" _Oh, come on, Ren, it's not like he's going to eat you." We always seemed to have that same conversation when setting up camp._ I clenched Darko's Poké ball a bit. _I promise, we'll have more of those once I find you and bring you back home. Even if it kills me._

(Scene Shift- Yusei's POV)

"No."

"Ren-"

"No, I am _not_ riding on your Duel Runner! What's wrong with me flying with Riki?"

"One, there's going to be people everywhere, so there's no safe place for you two to land. Two, did you happen to forget that in my world monsters are supposed to be _holograms_ , not actually living creatures?"

Riki let out a growl, more than likely agreeing with me. Ren had kept him out of his ball after introducing him and seemed very adamant about doing anything _but_ riding with me to the Kaiba Dome. And unfortunately, I had already signaled for Tanner and Yanagi to go ahead of us, so he only had one safe option (which he didn't like anyway).

Ren grimaced. "Can't I at least have, I dunno, Sonia fly me there? She's not nearly as big as Riki," he said, pointing to said orange pseudo-dragon that was quite a bit taller beside him.

"She still would stick out like a sore thumb," I retorted, getting a bit tired of this argument. "Come on, what's bad about riding with me?"

"You go at ridiculous speeds! I'm not used to it, no matter how many times I went to practice with you."

"Okay, if I go within the speed limit on our way, will you get on _willingly_?"

He bit his lip, trying to weigh out the options. "You'll...stay in the limit and not speed up suddenly, _right_?"

"I promise. I'll warn you if we're really running late."

Ren sighed, releasing his arms from having them crossed. "Fiiiiiine. Riki, come back." He recalled Riki back to his ball, clipping it back into place.

"Thank you." He gave a grunt as a response, bringing out the helmet he carried with his items. While I have been meaning to make a spare helmet, Ren kind of picked one himself and cleaned it up, claiming he might need it to prevent any more brain damage. He brushed his bangs back and put it on, climbing on behind me. Thankfully, even with Ren being roughly the same height as I was, he was small enough to slide on no problem (then again, with some of the hiding places he had been found in, he'd probably be able to fit in any nook and cranny he chose). "There, see? It didn't bite you."

"Just hurry up before I change my mind."

(Scene Shift- Eric's POV)

I stepped out of the Pokémon Center, sighing, "Damn it."

" **Gone again, huh?"** Jael, my Lucario, asked.

"Yeah. I don't get it. Every time I get a hint at to where he's going, it's like he vanishes into thin air _again_!"

" **Well, you got closer at least. You're both traveling in the same region, after all."**

"That's true, but it sounds like he's behind me rather than ahead." I pulled out my badge case, showing all eight badges. The only thing I needed to do was head for the Elite Four and Champion to get the Champion's stamp for this region. "This time I don't have to worry about missing a deadline."

" **That's true! You can spend the time looking for him rather than having to pick one over the other."**

I nodded. "Let's get the others and head out. Maybe we can catch him in Hearthome." _Maybe I can correct my wrongs of three years ago..._

(Scene Shift- Ren's POV)

"What?! You can't make me stay here!" I protested. Yusei had just told me that I was going to be staying in the backstage garage once I had gotten introduced to the twins who helped him earlier. "What's wrong with being in the stands with everyone else?"

"Well one, you'll be out in the open and I can't risk Goodwin's men seeing you. And two, you're technically grounded," he replied.

"Since when?"

"Since you didn't listen to me and did your own thing last night."

"Oh, come on! That was _one_ time! Name any other time I've done something crazy and stupid."

"Let's see-"

"Okay okay, fine. I get it. I'm grounded. Boy, I'm going to feel sorry for whatever kids you have in the future."

"Why's that?"

"You'll be known as the 'less fun' parent, duh."

"Hey now, I _do_ know how to have fun."

"Yeah, but your fun is the same things that _I_ keep getting in trouble with."

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's catch up with the others. The place shouldn't have too many people besides us, so it's a good opportunity to bring one of your partners out."

"I better go with someone less...shocking, I guess. Mazin should be okay." I pulled out his Poké ball, bringing him out.

He yawned, stretching. **"What'd I miss?"** he asked sleepily.

"I'll tell you later, Maz," I replied.

(Scene Shift- Eric's POV)

"So you're heading for Hearthome?" Jazz asked.

"Yep. I'm hoping Ren will be there by the time we reach there," I replied. "I'm giving Griffs a break for a bit, so I'm going by foot."

"Great! I'll meet you there, then."

"Huh? You're in Sinnoh, too?"

"Yep. I just got done getting my sixth badge. We wiped the _floor_ with my latest team member, Terror!"

"What, are they a Tyranitar?"

"Nope, a Rampardos. And she was awesome."

I chuckled. "Well, I'll have to see how well she stacks up against my Quagsire, Whirl, then."

"Yeah. Say, why are you heading for Hearthome, anyway? I thought you had finished up the Gyms here?" My eyes widened, looking away from the video chat. "Eric?"

"Ah, well, about that...I might have a lead about where Ren is."

Her eyes bugged out. "Wait, really?! That's great!"

"Yeah, at least, I hope it is..."

"Hey now, no melancholic stuff here, mister. You and I both know it wasn't your fault with what happened, and so does AJ."

I scoffed. "Sure she does."

She winced. "Okay, so, I'll admit she reacted in the wrong manner, but how can you blame her? I mean, both she and Ren were acting a bit weirdly when we got to Unova anyway."

"That was different. It was because of Ren blowing up at their parents for...whatever it was. He never told me _exactly_ what led to him exploding. Just that it had to deal with AJ."

"Doesn't that figure...anyway, I better head out if I want to get as close to Eternea before nightfall. I am _not_ going through that forest at night."

"What, scared of a few Ghost-types?"

"No! I'm more concerned about the actual ghosts, thank you."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Meet you in Hearthome, then." I hung up. I got up from the chair, stretching my arms above my head. "Well, we better get going, Jael."

" **'Kay,"** she replied.

(Scene Shift- Ren's POV)

" **Well that went a lot better than I thought,"** Mazin yipped once we got back to the garage.

"Why did you ask me to pick you up?" I asked, looking down at him in my arms.

" **To add to my cute factor, of course. And also put them a bit at ease."**

"Good, then I can put you down." I set him onto his paws, standing back up afterward.

He pouted. **"You are no fun."**

"And you are about fifty pounds more than when you were a little Eevee."

The introduction went well (at least, better than when I brought out Riki to show Tanner and Yanagi), though Luna and Dexter did jump a bit when Mazin walked up to say hi from his spot behind me. Once he showed his was friendly, they were more comfortable with him. When Leo caught up (disguised as Luna, apparently), he jumped a bit seeing Mazin in my arms, but I was a bit more confused at his disguise. Although, I had to disagree with his nickname for Yusei. I fit more being "Mister Amnesia Man."

" **So, why'd Yusei ground you this time?"**

"...no reason..."

" **Yes, because he's _so_ the kind of guy to do that willy-nilly. Come on, would you lie to one of your oldest partners?"**

"...he's a bit upset that I went to Satellite even though he told me not to in that message."

He was quiet for a minute before he shouted. **"I knew it!"**

"Huh?"

" **Oh, Keyne and I wondered if you would get in trouble for not listening to him and I bet he'd ground you like always. Boy, was I right!"**

"Now I seem to have a problem that my own partners are going to start betting when I get into trouble."

" **Pff, with your reputation, you could sneeze and get into trouble."**

"Hey!"

(Scene Shift- Eric's POV)

I sighed, looking at the map. "Well, looks like we're going to have to camp here for the night. Even if we book it, we won't hit the nearest town 'til after nightfall."

" **Well that sucks,"** Jael groaned.

"I agree, but nothing we can do. Let's try to find a good place to crash and-" I stopped when a light caught my attention. I could hear voices, too, but they were too far away to be distinguished. "Huh?"

" **Eric? I'm sensing something weird..."** The appendages on the sides of her head were up.

"We better get out of here before anything happens."

However, right as we were about to get away, a loud voice came that froze me in my tracks. " _How can they say that about him?!_ "

"Ren?!" I yelled, whirling around.

" **Eric, what-?"**

"That was Ren's voice; there's no mistaking it!"

" **But what does that-"**

" **Ren, calm down,"** Mazin's voice said.

"I am not calming down! Are you even listening to what they're saying about him?!" Ren's voice growled.

" **Well, yes, but you know that not everyone readily accepts Satellites..."**

"He's still a person, like any of 'em! How is that so hard to believe?! Grr, they're lucky I'm not in the stands. I'd have Riki give them a few words!"

" **Oh my Arceus, Ren, you are impossible to deal with. No wonder Yusei wanted you to stay in the garage."**

"Mazin-!" The voices started fading.

"No, wait!" I called, throwing out my better judgment and running to where the voices were coming from.

" **Eric, hold on!"** Jael yelped, rushing after me.

The voices kept fluctuating in and out, so it was hard for me to tell what was being said at all. Though, it didn't sound like Ren and Mazin were alone. Who were they with? What did Mazin mean by 'Satellites'? Who was this Yusei guy Ren talked about? _What in the hell is going on?_ I wondered as I continued to chase after the mysterious light, Jael close behind me.

(Scene Shift- Ren's POV)

"You comfortable there?" I asked.

" **Yep, and I'm not getting up any time soon,"** Mazin replied.

I rolled my eyes. I had calmed down a bit when one of the other contestants, Greiger, had spoke up about the words the audience were throwing at Yusei which I was grateful for. _At least it shows there are decent people,_ I had thought. Then Mazin, thinking I was going to storm out, decided to drag me down to the ground and plopped onto my lap to keep my pinned there. "You know, I don't think Yusei really thought out the 'stay in the garage' grounding idea. What if I need to use the bathroom?"

" **Do you _need_ to right now?"**

"Well, no."

" **Then nothing to worry about."**

"You're just trying to make sure I don't get myself into more trouble, right?"

" **Yep!"**

I sighed, shaking my head before leaning it against Yusei's Duel Runner that I was sitting in front of. "Well, guess I got no choice, then."

" **Damn right."**

I turned my attention back to Leo's duel against Greiger when a loud crash behind us jolted both to our feet. "H **ol** y **sh** it!" we both yelped.

" **The hell was that?!"** Mazin hissed. If he had different fur, I'm sure it would be puffing out like a cat's.

"I don't know." We heard groans, putting us both on edge in a heartbeat. "Who's there? State your business!"

"Ren?" a rather familiar voice asked. Then came the owner of the voice who I recognized (barely) from that recent memory vision. "Is...Is that _you_?"

I wracked my brain, trying to recall the memory I had replayed for the name. Finally, it hit me, and my eyes widened in shock. "Eric?"

(Scene Shift- AJ's POV)

 _Maybe it's nothing. Maybe I'm just being overly paranoid. Like anything's going to happen,_ I thought as I slipped away. I had felt a shiver run down my spine a few moments ago, much like the one I had before being transported to this world, and decided to check it out even though I was trying to convince myself not to. On the off-chance something happened and I either got back to my home world or ended up in another one.

I stopped when I reached one of the garages. I heard voices coming from the other side. Curious, I leaned in to try to listen better, my eyes going wide at one of the voices. _No way...could it be..?_

(Scene Shift- Ren's POV)

"Ren!" Eric cried, rushing up to me and hugging me. "You're alive! Thank Arceus."

"Eric...can't...breathe!" I gasped. _Boy, did I not miss the bear hugs from this guy!_ my mind laughed one he let go. However, I didn't get a chance to try to talk back.

"Where were you? What happened? Are you okay? Why do you have those scars?"

"Whoa whoa, Eric. Slow down."

"How are you here? Where are we?"

"Eric! One question at a time, please."

"But...how...where did that light send us?"

Now it was my turn for some questions. "Light? What light?"

Before he could answer, though, yet another new voice came into the mix. "Ren? Brother, is that you?"

We turned to the source. A girl about my age with ash-brown hair tied in a ponytail and sky-blue eyes stared back at me, her face conveying she was shocked out of her mind. My head started pounding like it did when a memory was trying to resurface and show itself. A name came to my mind, however.

" _AJ_?"

 **A/N: Aaannnnd chapter two's done! Wew, why did this take me so long to write? Oh, I know why...because my mind kept drifting off! XD And I also had to deal with Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon coming out (looove those games...but that boss pre-Elite Four was total BS! DX). Anyway, I do recommend checking out my dA if you want to see some recent Remembrance-based drawings I've done (including a new OC; not for this current time period, of course). Look out for chapter three, and I'll see you guys later.**

 **Oh yeah, forgot to mention. Griffs is Eric's Staraptor for this crossover that's based on the Staraptor I had for my very first team ever in my first Pokémon game. And Ren and AJ's Charizards' names have a bit of a reference in them, for those who know of a certain mongoose's story. Finally, Sonia is Ren's Golbat (EDIT: Nope, sorry; she's a Golbat, not a Crobat yet X'D) on his Sinnoh team.**

 **And as a bit of semi-world building...in most (if not all) my Pokémon crossovers will mention these Champion's stamps. It's basically proof that you fought and won against that region's Champion. I thought it would be easier than having my OCs being Champions of, like, five regions all at once. XD As far as when a Champion steps down, they can choose to either have a tournament held with those who have gotten the stamps for that region, or select a particular Trainer who impressed them.**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Say hello to chapter three. Sorry if it seems like I'm going through the Fortune Cup arc so quickly. ^^; It's mainly due to the fact that, other than possibly a few scenes, nothing much changes about it, so there's not much to do except my characters giving their two cents about certain aspects. Actually, in a different Pokémon crossover with this franchise, I originally planned for Ren and the others to be competitors too, but I threw that out quickly. Mostly due to the fact that I have yet to plan out their decks (which is one of the main reasons I'm withholding putting up their main story, aka a non-crossover story). Anyway, let's see what's in store for this chapter.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Pokémon nor _Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's_. Both go to their respective owners. I only claim my OCs. Also, a bit of a longer chapter in exchange for the wait.**

 **Chapter 3:**

(Ren's POV)

" _AJ_?" I asked when the name hit me. _Could she be...yes, yes this is her. My sister,_ my thoughts concluded. I'm surprised with the pounding in my head that I could even make a coherent thought.

A step forward turned into a run and she embraced me. "Oh Arceus, it _is_ you. You're alive!" she exclaimed. I was happy, too, but the pain in my head was getting to be too much.

Mazin could sense that, thankfully, and piped in, **"Um...guys?"**

"Where were you? What happened?" AJ pulled away, noticing Eric finally. "And what are _you_ doing here?"

"Gee, I feel welcome," he replied sarcastically. _Wait, what? What's...going on?_

" **Guys,"** Mazin put in.

"Well, you are the last person I'd expect to find with him, all things considered."

" **Guys?"**

"How many times do I have to say it? I _tried_ to help, but there wasn't much I could do!"

" **Guys!"**

"You had Tori on you at the time! You could have brought him out to fight!"

"I _told_ you, I didn't get a chance to-"

" ** _Timberrr!_ "** was the last thing I heard before blacking out and falling.

(Mazin's POV)

I rushed forward as Ren went unconscious, catching his head before it met concrete. My breath left out in a whoosh when he made contact. **"Holy Arceus and Lake Guardians, and you call _me_ heavy!"** I gasped.

"Ren!" AJ and Eric yelled, bending down to his side. However, as soon as they bumped shoulders, the glared at each other.

" **Would you two at least act civil while he's unconscious?! I really would like to keep from flooding this entire place and facing Yusei's wrath."**

"Fine." "All right," came the replies.

" **Good."** I managed to pull myself enough out from under Ren's head, using my tail to hold his head up off the ground instead. **"Now, before you two go at each others' throats, he'll wake up in a few minutes. He's fine."**

"How can you call falling unconscious as being 'fine'?" AJ asked with a raised brow.

" **Because this has literally been happening for over a year now, and at least he's recalled more than he's had the past three years we've been here."**

They looked at me, shocked. "What?" Eric asked.

I sighed. **"Look, when Riki and the rest of us rescued him, we somehow ended up in this...dimension, I guess you could call it. Though, Ren had recalled Riki and the rest of us before he got the help he needed, leaving Emily out. We didn't get out of our Poké balls until some weeks later when Ren semi-remembered us. From what Riki and Emily told me, he had run off because he felt like he was being a burden as he couldn't do much with how banged up he was. And thankfully, Riki helped him out of the mess he accidentally got himself and Emily into with a gang whose territory he mistakenly entered. As far as the fainting goes, it's usually because of the stronger memories resurfacing to his mind and it—as I understand—causes an overload and he passes out. The less intense ones usually just have him frozen where he stands for a few minutes before he snaps out of it. Scares the shit out of Yusei and the others, though."**

"But what are you talking about, Mazin? You're making it sound like he has amnesia," AJ said.

" **He...He does. We don't know how it happened, or _why_ , but he can't remember much of anything. He remembers Pokémon, and all of that, but as far as certain events and even people...nothing. The people who have helped us think it could have been because of some sort of head trauma or the events were traumatic enough to cause his mind to just, well, shut down. We just don't know."**

"Wait, back up a bit. You said that Riki and the rest of his partners rescued him, right?" Eric asked.

" **Yeah, why?"**

"That must have been before the International Police raided the P2 Labs. That would explain why he wasn't there!"

" **P2 Labs? Was that where it was? Well, I guess it was. At least Riki did some remodeling by blasting a hole in the side of it when we got there-"**

"What? What are you talking about?" AJ questioned.

" **Riki blasted a hole in the side of one of the walls. It was there we managed to get in and-"**

"That can't be. Looker said the lab was completely intact. Like it was barely used at all!"

I blinked, looking confused. **"Uhh...then that wasn't where Ren and Emily were being held. I specifically recall Riki blasting a giant hole in the side right before that green-haired, funny robed guy looked like he was commanding his Pokémon to attack them."** My ears shot up at the sound of the screen behind us. I turned and looked, seeing who won the duel. **"Aw man, poor kid."**

"Mazin, focus!" I turned back to AJ. "If Riki had blasted a hole in the side of the lab, and Looker claimed it looked like the P2 Labs were barely used, then that means that Ren and Emily were kept at a _different_ lab entirely! The documents there were just planted evidence. They wanted us to think they had had Ren there to throw the authorities off their scent."

" **Sounds like something they'd do. After all, the prick ordered his Bisharp to kill Emily before Ren dove in and took the hit for both of us."**

" _What?!_ " they both yelled.

" **Okay, ow, sensitive hearing, guys! And look, they did a lot more things to Ren than just the large scar on his chest. They were doing experiments on both him and Emily to draw out some sort of power from him."**

"Power? What power?" Eric inquired.

" **I don't know. Emily never said, and I doubt I can just ask Ren given his condition. I just know that whatever powers or abilities they were wanting to pull out of him, it was not for anything good for our world."**

A groan signaled Ren starting to wake back up. "Ow...my head..." he muttered.

" **Welcome back to the world of the living, Ren!"** I greeted. **"Now, can I have my tail back?"**

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure." He sat up, blinking a bit tiredly. "What all did I miss?"

" **Besides my nice little info dump to AJ and Eric here, you also missed the end of the duel."**

That got him awake and on his feet. AJ and Eric also stood up, the Lucario still staying a bit ways off (how did I miss her?). "Shit! I forgot! Who won?!"

" **Greiger did."**

"Damn, poor Leo." He finally seemed to realize who was here with us. "AJ! Eric! You're both here!" He threw an arm around both their necks. "Man, does it feel good to see you both outside of my memories, finally!"

"Yeah," both said. Before they could even react to the other, I glared at them with a look that said, 'Be civil, you two.' I didn't want them to even reveal they weren't on friendly terms anymore.

When Ren pulled away, I decided to ask. **"Hey, Ren. Quick question. What was the memory you had this time?"**

"Oh, right! I actually somewhat remember when Em and I got captured."

Eric was shocked. "You did..?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Do you...blame me?" I tilted my head curiously. _Okay, what the hell happened and why would Eric of all people feel guilty?_

"No, of course not! They had that weird equipment that canceled out your psychic abilities. And also they weren't exactly being fair since they had guys in the shadows without us knowing about 'em."

This time, AJ was the one who looked shocked only it was different than when Eric had the look. It seemed like she heard the most disturbing piece of news imaginable. "W-What?" she stuttered.

"Yeah yeah. Eric tried, you know, shoving them away only to see that his powers weren't working and later when he tried to bring out Tori to replace Eliana who was out cold, they—AJ? Where are you going?"

She was already part of the way out. "I...I forgot I had someone I had to meet before the next round. See ya," she replied quickly and left.

Ren looked confused and a bit hurt that his sister left. "What was _that_ about?" he asked.

"I'll...tell you later, Ren," Eric replied. "Now, uh, how about you explain what you've been up to in this world the last three years?"

"Oh, okay then."

Even I had to be a bit worried myself. _What's going on between AJ and Eric, anyway? Was there some falling out that we missed? And why did AJ have that look on her face when Ren talked about when he and Emily got kidnapped? I hope we can figure this out and soon,_ I thought.

(Scene Shift-AJ's POV)

I kept walking, not really having a set destination. I just knew I had to get out and _away_ from there. The moment Ren revealed what had happened...the realization came crashing down. Back then, when Eric had come to us, scuffed up and holding a fainted Eliana in his arms, I knew something bad had happened to him and Ren. However, when he tried to explain what went down...I blamed him. I blamed him for not doing enough to help Ren, for letting him get captured, for failing as a friend. And even after three years, I still felt like he was at fault for it.

Now, I learned the truth. There really was nothing much he could have done. He couldn't use his psychic powers to send the kidnappers flying, he didn't even have time to let out his Blastoise Tori to fight, and here I was putting the blame on him and breaking apart out little circle of friends. _Oh Arceus, what have I_ done _?_

(Scene Shift- Eric's POV)

"So, let me get this straight. All the monsters in this world are holograms?" I asked.

"Yep. The holograms are based on what the cards put on the duel disk are, from how I understand it. They might look intimidating as all hell, but they're not real," Ren replied.

"Huh. That's...interesting. And a bit unsettling."

"Yeah, well, I managed for three years here. You can handle a few days." He shrugged.

"But how did you find a way back? I mean, I heard rumors of you returning in Unova, and also Sinnoh as of late."

"It's...a bit complicated to say. Basically this ring-" He held up his arm to show the golden ring on it. "-allows me to make a portal to and from the Pokémon world when I want or need to go. That's how I've been able to jump between worlds. Probably explains why you and the others couldn't find me a lot of the time."

"Sounds like it." I looked up at the screen when I heard the commotion coming from the crowd. "Uh, hey Ren?"

"Yeah?"

"You said the monsters here are _just_ holograms, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Then how do you explain a sudden wind storm coming about when the other duelist just summoned out her dragon?"

"Eh?!" He turned to the screen too, seeing what I was talking about. "The hell?! But Yusei said-!"

"I think there might be some exceptions to the rule."

"Well this just opened up a whole new can of worms, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." I winced, my hand going to my bandaged right arm. _What are you reacting for?_ I thought.

"Why's your arm bandaged up?" I realized what I was doing and removed my hand.

"Uhh...got into a bad tango with a Toxicroak the other day. Gotta keep the bandages on to prevent infection."

"Ohh, that makes sense." _Well, even with the amnesia, he's still as naive and gullible as ever,_ I thought with a mental groan.

Listening to the rest of what the crowd was saying was making me frown a bit. _I don't get it. Why do I get the feeling I've seen something like this before? Come on, Eric, think! This can't be the first time powers like this have been seen._ "Okay, but seriously, why is this guy speaking in Old English, anyway?"

"Hell if I know. It's driving me nuts, though."

"Pff, having flashbacks to when we were in elementary, are you?"

"No!" I chuckled while he turned a bit pink. "Grr, it's just that...erm...the grammar is throwing me off. Yeah, that's it!"

"Ren, you and grammar go together like a Seviper and a Zangoose."

"...well, now I'm offended..."

"It's true, though."

He rolled his eyes and turned back to the screen. I followed his example. As the duel progressed, though, I kept getting the same nagging feeling. _Agh, this is frustrating! I know I've seen something like this before. Maybe it's just a power that's the same in our world that's used differently here? But just what is it? It's not magic, though, despite what these people are saying. If only I can remember what..._

"Okay, but seriously, can this guy seriously shut up? Not 'cause of the Old English dialect, but because he's seriously asking for a world of hurt if he doesn't," Ren's voice piped in. "I mean, that power looks very similar to what some psychic Trainers have in our world, doesn't it?"

I snapped my fingers. "That's it!"

"What is?"

"That's why the power looks familiar. Is there a possibility that there could be psychic duelists in this world?"

Ren shrugged. "Maybe. I wouldn't know too much 'bout it, though. I guess it would make sense for there to be, though, and I guess they can bring cards to life here. So much for them just being holograms."

"Yeah." I felt Jael nudge up against me, and I patted her head. "It's okay."

"By the way, I don't remember you having a Lucario."

"Ah, she's kind of a recent edition. Jael's at most a battle-companion, though, since she wasn't that into it like the others I caught in Sinnoh."

"You were in Sinnoh? How did I not run into you?" He turned back to the screen. "Dude, seriously, can you stop with that?"

"Well, when did you start?"

"Uh, some odd weeks ago, I think? I've only gotten to Eterna City and got the badge there."

"I started at least half a year ago."

He blinked, looking at me wide-eyed. "Seriously?!"

"Yep."

He groaned, tilting his head up to the ceiling. "Uuuuggghhh, I am _so_ far behind!"

"If it helps, Jazz started earlier than me a bit and has only gotten her sixth badge."

"Not helping."

"So, any reason why you're stuck in here, besides the obvious?"

"Yusei said I'm grounded 'cause of the little stunt I pulled. I basically ignored his message to call him first and not to go to the Satellite."

My mind was reeling at this. "You're...grounded?"

"Mm-hmm." I gave him a dumbfounded look. "What's that look for?"

"Well, for one, you never listened to any of us to stay in one place for more than five seconds. Whatever this Yusei guy did, I'll have to ask him how he got you to listen."

"Hey!"

(Mazin's POV)

 _Yeeeaaah, I'm bored,_ I though, rolling onto my back. Okay, sure, this duel was getting pretty intense, but I got the unhealthy habit from Ren of not being able to sit still for very long. Something that thankfully Riki didn't pick up with how long he's been by Ren's side. I rolled back onto my stomach and stretched. _Okay, I've gotta do something or_ I'm _gonna go stir crazy. Leaving the garage is out of the question. Hmm..._ An idea came to me. _Oh, I know!_

"Oh, come on! Don't be calling out the end before it comes," Ren shouted.

"Have to agree there," Eric replied.

While the two were distracted, I walked around and tapped the Lucario on her shoulder. **"Psst, hey,"** I whispered.

She jumped slightly, turning to me. **"Y-Yeah?"**

" **Say, wanna do something a bit fun?"**

" **Um, like what?"**

" **I scoped out some hiding spots our Trainers shouldn't see us in, so want to play a little prank on them?"**

" **A prank? They won't be mad, will they?"**

" **Pff, please. At most, I think it would make Ren a bit sore about getting jumped so easily. He kind of has a hard time noticing his surroundings. Besides, I'm pretty sure I can see where this duel is going."**

" **A-All right."** She got up and we snuck around. **"By the way, who are you?"**

" **Ah, right, forgot some introductions. I'm Mazin. The brown-haired and scarred guy is my Trainer, Ren. And you are?"**

" **I'm Jael."**

" **Nice to meetcha. Now, let's set ourselves up a scare."**

(Scene Shift- Ren's POV)

"Well, saw that coming," I said, stretching my arms above my head. "Seriously, though, maybe it's a good thing I wasn't out near the crowd with Akiza winning. I probably would have-"

"-shouted every profanity in the book," Eric finished.

"No! Well, maybe..."

"No 'maybe' to it."

"Grr...I don't recall you being a smartass."

"Then your memory hasn't fully returned. So, when do I get to meet this Yusei?"

"Ah, right. He should be coming down here since he's dueling up next." I stood up from the ground. "Mazin, come on. I know you don't like loud noises, so it's back to the ball." I didn't get an answer. I looked at where he had been laying to find it empty. "Mazin!?"

"Jael? That's odd, she never leaves my side."

"Oh Arceus. Okay, calm down. They couldn't have left the garage, right?"

"Why are you asking me that? I may be psychic, but I don't know everything."

"Shit! What kind of Trainer am I to lose a Pokémon in a parallel world!? Mazin? Mazin?!" I started looking around, trying to find a trace of the Vaporeon and Lucario.

" **Booyah!"** came a shout and a weight jumped into my back.

"Holy shit!" I yelped, landing on the ground.

" **Aha! That was sooo fun,"** Mazin's voice piped.

"Mazin, what the hell?!" I growled, getting ready to push myself up. "You scared the living daylights outta me! I expect this kind of thing out of Loki or Keyne, but _you_?!"

" **What can I say? I got a bit bored and I knew the outcome of the duel anyway."**

" **Did I scare you, Eric?"** Jael asked. **"Sorry."**

"Nah, it's fine. At least I'm not that easy to knock off my feet," Eric replied.

"Yeah, you and everyone else I seem to know," I grumbled, shoving Mazin off and getting back onto my feet. "Seriously, act your age for once."

" **You're one to talk. I have yet to see you grow out of the 'profanity' phase teen seem to be going through,"** Mazin said.

"Why you-!"

"Ren, you still in here?" I heard Yusei call.

 _Ah, crap. I didn't realize how far we went away,_ I thought. "Yeah, we're still in here! Mazin's just being an ass right now."

" **I am not!"**

"We'll be right over." I turned back to Eric. "Ready to meet one of the guys that helped us?"

"Yep. Though, I'm still going to ask how he managed to make you listen to him."

"...you are _so_ asking for me to reach up there and knock that smirk off..."

(Yusei's POV)

Tanner left after giving me some info on my opponent Shira. Since I heard Ren yelp from somewhere, I knew he stayed in here like I told him to. "Ren, you still in here?" I called.

"Yeah, we're still in here!" he called back. "Mazin's just being an ass right now."

"Va Vapor!" came Mazin's retort.

"We'll be right over."

Soon after, he and Mazin came right around the corner followed by two others. The new Pokémon (as at this point, if Ren recognizes it, it's probably from his world anyway) that looked like a bipedal blue and black jackal with spikes on the chest and back of the paws. The other was a guy around our age with mid-length silver hair, pale violet eyes, and a head above Ren's height. "Who's this?"

"Oh, this is Eric. He's been my best bud since forever during our journey!" Ren introduced with a grin.

The guy—Eric—looked at Ren with a raised brow. "Don't you mean your best bud that kept you from accidentally falling off a cliff?" he retorted.

Ren gaped. "My sense of direction was not that bad! At least, from what I recall."

"Says the guy who became very acquainted with every cliff in Kanto and Johto."

He glared. "...I hate you..."

"I hate to cut this short, but I've got to get going," I intervened. "Eric, you think you can keep a hold on Ren?"

"Yeah, sure," he replied.

"Wait, hold up! I thought you said I was grounded and had to stay here?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, about that...I just wanted to make sure you stayed in one place, so you were never actually grounded." I revved up the engine and left before Ren could retort.

(Ren's POV)

I felt my eye twitch in annoyance. "I swear, I'm gonna hit him one of these days," I grumbled.

"Pff," Eric snorted, trying to contain his laughter.

"One word, and that smirk is flying off your face."

"Okay okay, let's just head out of here and watch the duel from the stands."

"Fine. Mazin, return."

"You too, Jael."

We recalled our partners and left.

(Scene Shift- Eric's POV)

 _Well now that took an unexpected turn,_ I thought with the reveal that Yusei's opponent was not whoever Shira was but someone else named Hunter Pace. The duel was allowed to continue, however, despite the sudden change in opponents. _The different ways of dueling in this world kind of remind me of the different Trainer battle styles in our world, though I don't know if I'd want to try to have a Pokémon battle while on a motorcycle._

We didn't head fully into the stands and stayed in an entryway. Probably for the best considering all the times Ren tensed up and glared outward whenever the audience said anything bad about Yusei. _Guess it's a good thing I'm here to watch him. I doubt many people would be able to keep a handle on Ren whenever anyone close to him is being picked on. Then again, he's showing a lot more restraint than years ago, even when we started out. Maybe something he picked up from the people he knows here?_

"Soo...anything you want to ask me about your past?" I asked, trying to distract him.

"Oh, uh, not really," he replied, the glare disappearing. Then his face got downcast. "Well, actually, one thing."

"Fire away, then."

"What...What was I like as a Trainer?"

I blinked, confused. "Pardon?"

"I mean, personality-wise, I guess. It's just...when I woke up...I didn't know who I was, just barely remembering Pokémon and my name. And part of me even wonders if I act anything like my past self had. Mind filling me in?"

That threw me for a loop. I took a few minutes to think, the duel continuing on. "Well...you were always exceptional with Pokémon even when we were kids. You just...had a way of understanding Pokémon without at first knowing what they said."

"Wait, what? I wasn't born with this ability?"

"Not...exactly. The professors were confused as the rest of us were, but they guessed it could have been just not activated until we hit a certain age. At any rate, your battle style was always to jump in and hit hard as quickly as possible. And even if your Pokémon weren't faster, you weren't discouraged by that, encouraging them to be their best no matter what."

"Huh."

"You were also a bit reckless, and even then, your heart was in the right place. You hated seeing someone sad and upset, usually going out of your way to make them feel better." _At the expense of your own happiness or safety, at times._

"I see..."

I didn't like the tone he said that in. I looked at him with a worried look. "Everything all right, Ren?"

"Yeah yeah, just thinking." He turned his attention back to the duel.

I did the same, my concern growing. _Ren, what's going on with you? There must be more than just the amnesia or whatever's blocking your memories._

(Scene Shift- Ren's POV)

 _Yes! Yusei made it to the semifinals!_ I thought after he won. _Guess after this little special duel, it'll be time to go, but how are we going to get Eric out of here? I mean, Yusei's Duel Runner can't exactly carry three people, much less two. I'm just glad I was small enough to squeeze on. Wait..._ "Aahh! I made fun of my own stature!" I exclaimed, ruffling through my hair furiously.

"What?" Eric asked, confused.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

"If you're still insecure about being a bit thinner and all, don't be. Gives you an edge when your opponent thinks you can't handle yourself at all."

"Mmph, whatever." I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "'Sides, it's not like I haven't gotten a bit more muscle mass. I've regained enough of it despite whatever happened to me."

"Do you recall any of your captors at all?"

"No, not really. Riki and the others did tell me they rescued me from some lab, but that's it. I get flashes every now and then, but I think my brain keeps throwing it back out before I can tell Yusei or anyone else."

"You sure talk about Yusei a lot. Are you two-"

"I know what it sounds like, but we're not dating!" I felt my cheeks flush as I said this.

"You positive? He does seem like your type, after all."

"My _type_?! How the hell do you know my _type_ anyway?!"

"I'm your 'best bud since forever,' remember? I was also one of the first people you had come out to as being bi. Though, that also caused Jazz to tease us, and she'd say I was going to come out next and tell I wasn't just into girls."

"Jazz...she's...also one of our friends, right?"

"Well, you two were more like rivals, even if her starter choice tended to have the disadvantage. You two were similar in some categories and different in others."

"Okay."

"Going back to this special duel, you getting the feeling it might be a bit rigged as to who was picked?"

"A little. I mean, it could have been random, but there's something fishy going on."

"What do you mean?"

"Yusei's being forced to compete. He has to participate if he wants to protect our friends in the Satellite."

"Wait, what? I know this is a different world and all, but that can't be legal."

"Yeah, well, if I meet the guy pulling the strings, he's gonna wish he hadn't set up that ultimatum." I growled low in my throat after I said that.

(Eric's POV)

When Ren gave a low growl, I could have sworn I saw a flash in his eyes, like they had changed color for a split second. _What in the world? Was that a trick of the light? No, I was sure I saw a bright blue color replace his own just a second ago. Could it be related to that strange, Reshiram head mark that appeared on his arm all those years ago?_ My eyes drifted to my bandaged arm. _Can you tell me anything, Ho-Oh?_

(Scene Shift- Ren's POV)

The grip my hand on the upper arm to the opposite tightened. _What the hell is happening? Was this the intention, and if so,_ why _?_ I thought. The Professor had hypnotized Luna. Some of the audience members were yelling their worry about the situation as well. _I am really disliking this sixth sense at times, especially when there's nothing I can really do to help!_

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of ash-brown hair around the corner. _AJ?_ I whirled around, not catching her in time. _She was acting so weird earlier, including right after I revealed what had happened in that flashback I had gotten. I've gotta find out what's going on!_

"Hey, uh, Eric. I gotta go to the bathroom," I lied.

"Okay. Need me to come with you?" he replied.

"Nah, I think I can find my way back."

"Well, if you get lost, then I better find a hiding spot 'cause I doubt your friend will like that."

"Ah, don't worry. He doesn't get mad _that_ easily." I headed off, hoping to catch AJ before she disappeared again.

I hurried in the direction I thought I had seen her go, and sure enough I was able to catch up with her. "AJ! AJ, hey sis!" I called, rushing up to her.

She paused for a second to wait until I caught up with her. "What is it?" she said in a slightly harsh tone.

 _Ow, geez. Is she having a bad day?_ "I, uh, you kind of ran off before we could catch up."

"It's like I said, I had to catch up with someone after the duel is all." She started walking again and I did the same.

"Who did you have to meet up with?"

"Does it really matter?"

 _Okay, yeah, something's up with her._ "Well, I'd like to know who my sister knows. Is that so bad?"

"Suppose not."

"But anyway, why were you acting so prickly around Eric earlier? You acted like he was the worst person on two worlds."

"Just something that happened in the past. Doesn't matter now."

"But you guys were friends, AJ. You guys might have disagreed every now and then, but you guys never acted like this toward each other."

"Yeah, well, sometimes friends split up, bro. People change. It's a part of life, after all."

I stopped in my tracks, letting her leave. _What is up with this? AJ...AJ wouldn't act like this, right? This attitude...it doesn't seem like her. Just what happened three years ago? Why are Eric and AJ mad at each other? Was it...did I cause this to happen?_

(Scene Shift- Eric's POV)

I rubbed my eyes, trying to keep myself awake. The shift in time was messing with me a bit, making me realize I should have probably gone to sleep in the last few hours. _Ah well, I'll fall asleep when it's night time here...even if it'll screw up my sleep cycle a bit,_ I thought with a sigh. Footsteps behind me told me Ren was coming back. "Hey, Ren. Find the restroom okay?" I asked, not turning around yet.

"Yeah," he said in a dejected tone.

I turned to him, seeing the downcast look in his features. "Everything okay? You're looking a bit down."

"Huh? Oh, yeah yeah, I'm fine." He put on a forced smile. "Just, uh, hit my foot on the door when I opened it on the way out."

"Ow. Try to be careful next time, yeah?"

"I'll try." He gave a chuckle with that.

 _He's lying,_ a part of me said. It was easy to tell when Ren was upset. He would avoid eye contact at any cost, and he'd try to brush it off and say it was nothing with the fake smile he wore to throw people off. _This is just like three years ago, when he wouldn't tell what happened between him and AJ. Not even Jazz knows, and AJ shares everything with her._ My frown deepened. _Maybe that's why she blew up at me and refused to listen to anything I said. After all, what hurts worse than having a fight with your loved one and never getting a chance to apologize?_

The bracket for tomorrow's lineup was revealed. It was Yusei versus Greiger and Akiza versus Commander Koda (Ren told me who was who as I hadn't reached this world in time to see all the contestants). _Two matches, huh? This tournament won't be for much longer, then. Then again, they could go all through the finals tomorrow as well, so that's going to be a bit of a pain. Hope Jazz is...wait, oh shit!_ I groaned, my head slipping into one of my hands. _Crap, if I happen to "disappear" as well, she's going to flip out. And that's the last thing she needs to be doing._

"Well, guess it's about time to get to the others," Ren said, snapping me from my thoughts. "Though, the better question is how to get you moved around." He rubbed the back of his head with the arm that held the ring. _That's it!_

"Hey, Ren. Mind if I borrow that ring of yours?"

"Huh? What for?"

"Well, for one, you won't have to worry about me needing to find my own way along to wherever you're staying. And there's something I need to check up on anyways in our world."

"Is it that important?"

"Very." _As in, I'd rather not have Jazz try to skin me alive for leaving her out of the loop._

"All right." He pulled his arm in front of him, slipping the ring off his wrist. "I have to warn you, I never really used it to see if I could jump to a different place in either world yet. It might work, you know, in theory."

"No time to test it out then. If I find myself here again, I'll just find my way out."

"If you're sure."

I headed off to find a more secluded spot to use the ring. _Please let this work._ Once I found a spot, I stopped. _How is this thing supposed to work, anyway?_ I looked over the ring. It seemed more like a simple gold bracelet. Nothing out of the ordinary, it seemed to be something you'd find in any store. _Well, here goes nothing, I suppose._ "Hearthome City, Sinnoh!" I shouted while throwing the ring in the air.

Right after it left my hand, the ring stopped in mid-air, shaking a bit, and then expanded and formed a portal. I gasped, stepping back a bit in surprise. _Okay, I was going off on a limb there, but it worked?! Hold on...is it even the right city? I'd rather not end up all the way in Alola or Kanto by mistake._ Cautiously, I poked my head in. It was Hearthome, all right, though in an alleyway (makes sense, I suppose; don't want to be popping out of a giant ring in the middle of the square). _That's a relief._ I stepped in all the way. The portal vanished from the inside of the ring before shrinking back down to the bracelet size it was prior. I grabbed it out of the air. _Definitely going to have to ask Ren where he got this thing._

(Scene Shift- Some Hours Later- Ren's POV)

 _Where could he be?_ I thought, skidding to a stop. Yusei, Luna, and I were out looking for Leo who hadn't shown up. I lent Mazin to Luna on this search. If I needed help, I always had a fire-breathing dragon to call out (aka Riki; okay, the dragon part is a lie, but he's dragon-like). _And I remember why I don't like big cities so much. I get turned around so much. Maybe Eric was right about me having bad directions. Can't say I have good ones since I end up getting lost like this._

"Okay, Ren. Let's just retrace your steps and-" I started only to be interrupted.

"Ren!"

"Holy Mew and Arceus!" I whirled to the voice, seeing Eric stepping out of the portal. "Can you _not_ do that?! I already have enough heart problems as it is! I'd rather not-" I stopped again when another person stepped out of the portal right behind Eric. She had gold eyes and dark reddish hair tied in a low ponytail. She wore a blue long-sleeved shirt with a gray short-sleeved jacket over it, jeans, and tennis shoes. Upon seeing me, her eyes bugged out. _Another person from my past?_ "Uh, Eric?"

"Ren, this is Jazz. We talked about her earlier, remember?" he said.

"Oh, right right." _Right, she's changed quite a bit since we were starting Trainers. Or even three years ago, when I went missing._ "Well, it's nice to see you again, Jazz!"

Almost immediately, she ran up and threw her arms around my neck. "Oh my Arceus, You're alive and okay," she said.

"Uh, yeah. Mostly."

"I got her caught up on what you told me," Eric piped in. "Or, at least, what you were able to tell me."

"All right." _At least I won't have to go into explaining everything. It ends up being a bad reminder of all that's gone._ "Oh wait, did you-"

"Yes, I also explained about the whole 'don't bring out your Pokémon because of how this world is' part as well. Though, I think we can assume we can let out some of our partners around people you've already told."

"You're right about that. After seeing all of my partners, I doubt any of the others will be that surprised to see yours." At that point, it hit me. _Oh shit...I hadn't realized it with that small argument, but I never told Yusei about what I saw at the hideout. Some friend I am._ I wasn't able to keep that thought for long when I was reminded who was with me.

"Ren? You okay there?" Jazz's voice floated in. I pulled out of my thoughts to see she had pushed herself away with a concerned look on her face. Eric's features matched hers.

"You went quiet after mentioning your friends here. Care to explain?" Eric asked.

"Um...actually, since you guys know me—or rather, knew who I was—I want to level with you about something," I replied.

"Does it have to go with what you asked me back during the tournament?"

"No, it's something else. This might be a bit harder to explain, though."

"Huh?" both said.

I took in a breath and released it. "Well, it's about when I left Sinnoh after getting Yusei's message on my PokéGear. I had gone to the Satellite even when he had warned me not to. I wanted to see what he was talking about. Riki and I went to where the hideout was—well, it's more of a hangout, but I digress. The place was trashed and no signs of everyone. While I was going up the stairs, I got caught in another flashback, less powerful than the one that hit me back at the Kaiba Dome. When I got out of it, Riki alerted me to the danger heading our way. I'd go out on a limb here and say it was probably the same ones who had taken the others."

"So what does this have to do with that downcast look on your face?" Eric questioned.

"Well...I guess it's mainly because I feel like I'm lying to Yusei by not telling him what I had seen. I had gotten so caught up with the fact he was mad at me because I had no clue why he would tell me not to go there that I forgot about everything. I just...feel bad about not telling."

Eric and Jazz were quiet for a few minutes. Then Jazz walked back up to me and flicked me hard on the forehead. "Oooowww! What the hell was that for?!" I growled.

"Geez, amnesia or no, you're still the same," she replied.

"Eh?"

"Ren, no one can fault you for forgetting. You've always had a problem with keeping a good memory of certain aspects when you get upset even the slightest. More than likely, you were still jittery about what you found and almost getting caught. You were always known to get a bit scatterbrained when your emotions got jumbled up."

"That doesn't exactly explain what I should do."

"Should be obvious, right?" Eric said. "You should pull Yusei aside and tell him. If you need some backup for the talk, we can vouch for how you were."

"We've been friends for years, anyway. Hard to argue against that," Jazz added. "We can even give a few examples of you doing the same thing years ago if need be." She gave a wink when she said that last sentence.

I smiled despite the obvious jab thrown at my ego. Something inside of me was feeling a bit more at peace...but not by much. There was still so much bothering me. What was up with AJ's attitude? She was happy to see me, then when I revealed that tidbit concerning the capture she looked so distraught, and finally when I caught up with her again she kept trying to brush me off. And rather harshly at that with her tone. _What's going on? Could...Could it have something to do with what I had done in the past? Is there more going on that I obviously can't recall? There's just...some nagging feeling...like I should know but don't. Not to mention...all that I've been told..._

" _A lost child in an unknown world. You desperately want to get back to your home and be with your loved ones. That's what your eyes tell me. But then again...there's also that lingering darkness in them. Like you don't_ want _to be found."_

" _Oh yeah, I knew you back in the day, and what I can tell you is that you shouldn't be trying to look for your family. I doubt they'd want you back after everything you've said and done."_

 _Those quotes...something about them unnerved me, and not just by the hints they were giving, either. I'm sure their meanings lie in the memories I've lost. If only I could remember all of what happened in Unova...and perhaps, before it as well._ My thoughts halted when my PokéGear started ringing. The present slammed back into my face once more. _Shit, I forgot the reason I was out here! I really am as scatterbrained as Eric and Jazz said!_

I scrambled to pull it up from the string around my neck, answering it. "Yusei? What is it? Did something happen?" I asked frantically.

"Okay, wow, calm down," Jazz whispered.

"Really, Jazz?" Eric sighed.

"Calm down, Ren. We found Leo," Yusei's voice said. Though, the words were a bit hard to hear clearly as the speakers crackled.

"You did?"

"Well, more like someone else found him. I'll explain more when you catch up. Where are you, anyway?"

"Um...well...good question. I'm kind of lost."

I heard him sigh. "All right. I'm temporarily lifting the ban on letting Riki out. Just be careful with him flying about."

"Got it. I'll meet you back at the Tops."

"See you then." With that, he hung up.

I sighed, dropping the device back onto my chest. "Well, guess its now or never to face the music."

"You make it sound like you're going to trial, Ren," Jazz teased.

"By the way, you never mentioned how Yusei was able to contact you from our world," Eric pointed out.

"Ah, right. Well, as you probably heard from the speakers, the PokéGear can be used sort of. As far as when I'm in our world, it's kind of like getting messages coming in after being out of range. It's a bit hard to explain entirely as I'm not sure how it works, to be honest."

"Huh. Interesting to note."

"Anyway, we better get going." I pulled out Riki's Poké ball. "Don't wanna keep him waiting, and it's getting late. Judging from the way you were looking back at the Dome, I'm guessing it was pretty late when you got to this world."

Eric looked away sheepishly while Jazz giggled. "Yeah, you can imagine I wasn't too happy about being woken up so early in the morning," she added.

"Yes, blame me for the time difference," Eric muttered.

(Scene Shift- Eric's POV)

We had gotten to the place a bit later than we had liked. Ren didn't have a good sense of direction even in the air. Thankfully, we hadn't been caught. At least, I hope we weren't. Ren went to go talk with Yusei while Jazz and I hung back a bit. My arm started throbbing again, so we ducked away to check on it.

"It's been hurting that much?" Jazz asked, unraveling the bandages.

"Yeah. It's usually only when Ho-Oh's trying to get a message across. I got tired of people asking about where I got the 'tattoo,' so I covered it up," I replied.

"Why do ya think I went to long-sleeves? Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a tattoo one day. Just rather it be of _my_ choosing. Not the whole...whatever we have."

"Figured as much."

"All right. Now let's see—whoa."

I was just as shocked as she was. My mark—which had been just of a top-down shot of Ho-Oh's head—had changed slightly. An outline of flames decorated the top part of the mark. "Well, that wasn't on there before."

"Should I check mine as well?"

"Wouldn't hurt."

She rolled up her sleeves, showing that even her mark of Xerneas's head had the same flames. "Okay, these things make as much sense as a Wailord being able to float in the air. I could have sworn this looked semi-normal a week ago."

"Same here." _Did us coming to this world affect our marks? But why? What's so important about this world that they'd undergo this change?_ "At any rate, we should-"

"Hey guys, what are you doing?" Ren's voice came in, making both Jazz and I flinch.

"Nothing!" we both shouted, jumping onto our feet. I hid my right arm behind my back while Jazz jut let her sleeve roll back down.

"You sure?"

"Ah, well, I was just having Jazz check out my little injury here since she was there when I got hurt," I replied.

"Right right. Don't want something like that getting infected," Jazz added with a quick nod.

"Huh."

"So, uh, how did that little talk go?" I asked, changing the subject.

"A lot better than I expected. Yusei had already an idea of what had happened if I had taken off with Riki and Mazin, so he reassured that he wasn't upset over that."

"That's good. Erm, anyway, I better let Jazz get back to cleaning up the injury. You can head back on inside."

"Hm? Why? Not like it would bother me, and I saw what a good chunk of my body looked like under the bandages years ago."

"Oh, but this is some _reeeaaallly_ nasty shit going on with his arm. Like, stuff you'd see in the horror films," Jazz said.

"Can't be that-"

"Oh, but it is!" I joined in. "Trust me, you do _not_ want to see the color your skin could turn with this type of poison. Really nasty, looks more like a zombie arm than a human arm." _Please buy that!_

Ren's eyebrow raised before he sighed, shaking his head. "All right, I get it. I'm wanting to head to bed as early as I can. We'll have to figure some way of getting you guys to the tournament anyhow. 'Night!" He turned around, heading back in.

"Goodnight!" we called back. Once he was out of earshot and sight, Jazz and I let out sighs of relief. "Oh, thank Arceus he's gone..."

Jazz recovered first. "You didn't tell him about your mark?" she asked.

"Kind of hard to when he doesn't remember it, and we had talked a lot about it before Unova," I replied. "Heck, it came up while we traveled Johto."

"Good point. Anyway, let's get that re-bandaged and hidden again."

"Right." _But now I have to wonder...if our marks have changed...could Ren and AJ's marks have as well?_

 **A/N: Annnnddddd I'm done! Phew, this was a doozy to get written, and here I thought I could get it out quick enough. Apparently not! At any rate, I've got the next chapter outlined, so be sure to come back around for that. Things are going to be heating up (literally)**

 **PS- Sorry if AJ seems to suddenly change into...well, a b-word mid-chapter, but there's an explanation for that...just not now. 'Cause spoilers.**

 **PPS- Kudos to anyone who spotted the little _Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood_ reference. ^^**


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